A media conference discussing the factual information contained in the report and the progress of the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the Piper Chieftain fatal accident on 2 December 2005 will be held on, Tuesday 31 January 2006. Where: Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour SYDNEY (Rotor Tech 2006 - Hall 3 ATSB Booth No.2) Time: 15:00 (local time) Mr Alan Stray, Deputy Director, Aviation Safety Investigation will discuss the factual material contained in the report and progress of the investigation.

The ATSB has found that the third officer of the Panamanian tanker Port Arthur suffered a fracture of his cervical spine during a lifeboat drill on 20 October 2003. Three other crew in the lifeboat escaped serious injury when the boat fell 10 metres into Port Botany after its suspension hooks opened prematurely while it was being launched. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has released its investigation report into the accident which concludes that the lifeboat's on-load release hooks had not been correctly reset when the boat was last lowered. Lack of effective maintenance had…

On 21 March 2003 the port main engine of the Australian cargo ship Searoad Mersey failed catastrophically leaving the vessel disabled in Bass Strait. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has released its investigation report into the incident. At 1612 on 21 March 2003, the roll-on/roll-off cargo vessel Searoad Mersey departed from Melbourne on a scheduled service to Devonport in Tasmania. By 1924 the ship had cleared Point Lonsdale and was heading in a south-easterly direction in Bass Strait. At about 2118, the duty engineer received an engine room alarm and made his way to the…

An ICAO audit of the ATSB has reported high satisfaction with Australia's legislative, organisational and training framework for aircraft safety investigation and the professional and efficient conduct of the ATSB investigations reviewed in detail. The audit by the Montreal-based International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) was sought by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau to ensure that the ATSB met international best practice for aviation accident and incident safety investigation. The ICAO audit team 'commended the positive and professional approach of the ATSB in proactively…

In a pro-active move to reduce the number of collisions between trading ships and commercial fishing vessels on the Australian coast, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has launched an Australia-wide safety awareness campaign. The campaign is designed to raise the awareness of commercial fishermen to the contributory factors which the ATSB has identified during its investigation of 21 collisions between trading ships and fishing vessels since 1990 that have ongoing relevance. The aim of the campaign is to highlight some of the risks associated with fishing on the Australian coast.…

The ATSB investigation into the fatal Piper Seneca accident on 11 November 2003, at Bankstown Airport has found that the aircraft banked right and speared into the ground during a go-around manoeuvre. The aircraft was being operated on a multi-engine endorsement training flight with an instructor and student on board. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and the post-impact fire. The student was fatally injured in the accident and the instructor received severe burns and died three and a half weeks after the accident. The ATSB interim factual report finds that the engines were…

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has been advised of a fatal aviation accident involving a Bell 206 Helicopter, VH-CSH, conducting locust control work, which occurred near Dubbo, New South Wales at about 2.30 local time today 22 November 2004. The Bureau has been advised that regrettably, two occupants of the helicopter suffered fatal injuries, and a third occupant was seriously injured. The ATSB will be conducting an on-site investigation. All media contact to be directed to the ATSB's central office, details below.

At the request of the Queensland Government, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has dispatched a team of Transport Safety Investigators to conduct an investigation into the Tilt Train Accident near Bundaberg which occurred in the early hours of 16 November 2004. An initial team of three ATSB Transport Safety Investigators from Brisbane and Adelaide will be onsite this morning to commence the safety investigation. The investigation will be run in conjunction with Queensland Transport. Any person/witness with information about the derailment should contact the ATSB on 1800 020 616.

The ATSB has released a Preliminary Investigation Report into a 24 July 2004 Boeing 737 incident involving a ground proximity warning 22km south of Canberra aerodrome. The report can be found on the ATSB web site www.atsb.gov.au. The ATSB will not be commenting further on this Preliminary Report. The final report into this incident is expected to be completed by March 2005 and an interim factual report will be released before that time if the circumstances warrant this. Any necessary safety action that arises from the investigation will be recommended immediately and not held until the final…

The ATSB's final investigation report into an airspace incident on 7 April involving a Boeing 737 and a Lancair aircraft has found that while it was an 'airprox' it was not a 'serious incident' because of timely action by the air traffic controller and both crews. The Boeing 737, operating under the instrument flight rules (IFR), was en route from Townsville and descending for a landing at Brisbane. A Neico Lancair IV-P aircraft, operating under the visual flight rules (VFR), was en route from Maroochydore to St George, on climb to flight level (FL) 165. Both aircraft were operating in Class…